Computing devices often utilize a communication network or a series of communication networks to exchange data. Companies and organizations operate computer networks that interconnect a number of computing devices to support computing operations or provide services to other parties. The computing devices may be located in a single geographic location or may be located in multiple, distinct geographic locations (e.g., interconnected via private or public communication networks). For instance, larger data centers or data processing centers may include a number of interconnected computing systems that provide computing resources to customers of the data center. Using virtualization technologies, utilization of data center resources may be increased by configuring a single physical computing device to host one or more computing instances that appear to operate as independent computing devices to users of a data center.
Starting and setting up computing instances and services in a service provider environment using virtualization technology may be complex. From initiating the computing instances to downloading and installing software, as well as applying any desired configurations, the process may consume hours, days or longer to complete. In addition, learning and implementing best practices for security, availability and other features can result in additional complexity and time consumption.